WHY LOCAL MEDIA ADVERTISING GOT HARDER TO SELL

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Local media advertising is harder to sell because the mix of local businesses has shifted. New advertisers favor targeted digital tactics over traditional media. The market added 1.7M net new businesses after the pandemic, and many of these buy search ads and targeted banners that sales reps often miss. There are now 3X more in-house marketers than ad sales reps, and these marketers focus on quick results and bottom-funnel tools rather than brand building. This makes advertisers more skeptical and more focused on proof over reach.